Chapter 126: What Lies Within That Heart
At that moment, we soared through the sky without hesitation.
Passing by the eruption-like blast caused by the explosion of 『Microbe Revenge』, our eyes were fixed on──the other Kuriba Ryoko.
《What kind of defense is that!? She escaped from the very center of the explosion…… and came out unscathed except for her right arm!? No, wait, her right arm was missing from the start…… meaning she’s completely unharmed!? That’s absurd!!》
《No…… it looks like Frenda-san managed to eject her just before the blast. Most likely, there was some sort of emergency escape system installed. She’s extremely thorough. ……Or maybe, even the explosion itself was part of her plan.》
That was the conclusion gradually forming in my mind.
The reasoning was simple. If someone managed to attach an emergency escape system to a hastily built machine without even secondary weapons, it meant the escape had been part of the plan from the very beginning.
Maybe she had always intended to trigger that colossal weapon herself. Either to shake off Academy City’s pursuit, or to inflict damage through the blast itself……
In any case, the fact that she had planned for an escape meant that the schemes of the other Kuriba Ryoko were far from over.
《If that’s the case, then what possible reason could she have for causing such an explosion?》
《…………》
As if to test her intentions, I directed air-current detection toward the other Ryoko──and we realized a certain truth.
The machine’s frame had been constructed with massive amounts of iron sand.
Because of the explosion, that iron sand now spread across the skies above Academy City. It was too fine to be seen with the naked eye, but still iron sand all the same.
Iron sand, when interacting with the solar wind, naturally causes magnetic interference. And when magnetism is disturbed──certain types of optical camouflage can no longer function properly.
Of course, we couldn’t detect that faint disturbance with our own senses.
But air-current detection made the presence of an invisible flying object overhead stand out──and if anyone could pick up such minute disturbances, it would be the other Ryoko, with her cybernetic eyes!!
《I don’t know why. But without a doubt──Ryoko’s target is that airship!! Most likely, from the very beginning!!》
Like a heavenly maiden draped in a robe of purple lightning, Ryoko flew ahead, and we beat the wings of 『Fissure』 to pursue her across the sky.
Why the other Ryoko targeted that airship, I didn’t know. Nor did I know what the airship was, or why it cloaked itself in optical camouflage. But it was clearly at the center of her machinations that had already engulfed all of Academy City. Leaving it alone…… felt dangerous.
Even if her actual objective was harmless, the other Ryoko always seemed to overlook collateral damage for the sake of her goal. The fate of Bisai, Frenda’s friend, and the self-destructive use of Microbe Revenge were proof enough.
Based on everything that had happened so far, even if tampering with that airship was her aim, there was still a high chance that Academy City would suffer considerable damage in the process.
"Stop right there, Ryoko-san!!"
『…………Shiren Blackguard. You still insist on calling me Kuriba Ryoko, do you?』
Swiftly, while still racing toward the airship, the other Ryoko turned only her face toward us.
……She responded. Could there be room for dialogue?
The hopeful thought almost loosened my guard──and if I had been alone, Reicia Blackguard would surely have died in the next instant.
The other Ryoko, without so much as a twitch of her brow, declared:
"Enough is enough. Being compared to that woman disgusts me."
《Idiot, Shiren!!!!》
It was thanks to cautious Reicia, who never let her guard down, that we survived.
Just before those words were spoken, she had already prepared her calculations. At the very moment the other Ryoko raised her right hand toward us, 『Fissure』 unfolded between us──a rift sharp enough to sever dimensions themselves.
The next moment──
ZBAAAASHHHHH!!!!!!
A torrent of 『Power』, surpassing mere electricity, roared toward us, aimed directly at the 『Debris Matter』 shield that had just appeared in front of us.
Even with the shield of 『Debris Matter』, the impact could only be lessened. The very next instant, the 『Debris Matter』 we had summoned as a shield was hurled back toward us at several times the speed of sound.
If not for protecting ourselves with 『Fissure』 set at our coordinates, the shield would have shattered and taken us with it. In this battlefield of extreme speed, where even your own shield could kill you, we had no choice but to be blown away.
But what stuck in my heart amid all that was the bitter parting shot that revealed the other Ryoko’s irritation.
《……She finds it unpleasant to be mistaken for Ryoko? But wasn’t her very sense of self rooted in being "Kuriba Ryoko"? ……Am I misunderstanding something about her…… no, about the Doppelgänger-san?》
《Shiren! Save the thinking for later! Focus on where we’re being blown!!》
Her voice snapped me back to my senses.
She was right. Doppelgänger-san had already widened the distance, and we had been forced into retreat by her strike.
In this chaotic battlefield where sporadic skirmishes still raged, I couldn’t afford to ignore where we were being thrown. Amata, for one, should be rejoining the fight any moment now──
With that in mind, I focused on the direction we were headed.
And there──
Chapter 3 – A Soul’s Worth Is Worthless Double(Square)_Faith.
Episode 100 – Real_Intention.
"……Good grief. We’ve been blown pretty far. By now, I imagine Blackguard-kun is already on his way…… Looks like I really need to hurry, or this could get bad."
"……I won’t let you go any further."
──At the base of the mountain where Reicia and the others had been fighting just moments ago.
Climbing up from the crater-like depression left by a meteor strike, Gensei emerged. Waiting for him there was a spiky-haired boy.
A moment of silence. Then the cracked features of the old man twisted into a sly grin.
"So Kamijou-kun is the main plan? How interesting."
KSHHHK!!!
The next instant, a ring of light suddenly appeared above Gensei’s head. Looking closer, it was made of countless thin plates resembling electronic circuits, gathered together like Saturn’s rings.
The structure writhed, clattering like the gears of a mechanical doughnut, producing a sound that carried an ominous pressure, as though it were tightening around what remained of his brain.
"You bastard……! What more are you planning to do with that body?!"
"Hm? Honestly, I think this body’s about reached its limit. I was planning to use it up until it broke, but if it really breaks then it’s game over for me. I need to bring Doppelgänger-kun under my control sooner rather than later…… Quite the dilemma, isn’t it?"
Even as he spoke, Gensei’s──no, Norikoe’s──body was changing. A white substance spread across his skin like cloth being pasted on, covering the entire right half of his body. Kamijou didn’t know what it was, but if Shiren had been there, he would have described it like this:
『It’s just like the power of an angel, Gabriel.』
"Tch……!"
Time was running out. Kamijou realized this and charged forward toward Gensei without hesitation.
Gensei, in turn, only flicked his right hand.
The next moment, ZBAAASHHH!!! A massive blade of white light materialized along the arc of that swing.
The sheer size of it seemed to tear through the world itself. The only reason Kamijou’s upper and lower body weren’t cleaved apart was because he had slid feet-first like a baseball player at the very last second, slipping under the kill zone.
Rolling past the blade of death, Kamijou pushed himself up with a leap, lunging straight at Gensei. From experience, he knew Gensei tended to avoid close combat. Given that he had just suffered a heavy blow from Doppelgänger, Kamijou judged that close range was to his advantage──and he intended to finish it here.
That much was also obvious to Gensei.
(Kamijou-kun wants to end this now. And it’s true, thanks to the damage I took from Doppelgänger-kun, I’m not at full capacity. If he forces close combat now, the odds may favor him. But I’ve survived in the darkness of Academy City for more than half a century. You think I can’t read such a simple strategy……!?)
Kamijou Touma’s objective was to release Norikoe’s control with his right hand.
Which meant the finishing blow had to come from his right fist. And that also meant his attack timing was easy to predict.
(Ten steps. Zero point two seconds. I’ve already read Kamijou-kun’s strike. All I have to do is launch my attack to match that timing.)
No doubt Kamijou would use some form of precognition to react──but even so, one move would be forced from him. If Gensei moved at the exact same time he attacked, Kamijou would be forced to either block or redirect the strike.
So, when Gensei tried to execute his plan──
Kamijou suddenly pulled out his cell phone, leveling it at him.
For an instant, Gensei’s thoughts raced in shock at this completely unexpected move.
(A cell phone? A call? Some disguised gadget? At this timing? Blackguard-kun’s orders──no, wait, the camera function…… a flash!!)
What resurfaced in Gensei’s mind was the photosensitive seizure induced by Yumiyari Iruka. Of course, it wasn’t something that could be triggered by a mere cell phone camera, but still, for Gensei—or rather, for the living being called Nurikae Onrei—that bitter memory had been carved deep into the body.
Contrary to Gensei’s will, Nurikae’s body stiffened for an instant. Muscles creaked as if grinding against each other, and with that illusion, Gensei realized the state he was in.
(Thi–this is… Nurikae-kun’s… fear!? I see, my control has weakened, and Nurikae-kun’s ego is beginning to surface…! That means this is the weakness of the Double-Persona Square Face…!)
For Reicia Blackguard, it might even serve as a strength. But for Gensei, who only regarded one side of the personality as a mere tool, it was nothing but a weakness. It was the moment when the warped flaw of the Double-Persona Square Face manifested at the worst possible time, yet Gensei’s vicious grin didn’t waver in the slightest.
Just before Kamijou tried to blind Gensei’s vision with the camera flash.
"Gazing only at me is fine and all—but are you sure it’s okay to focus on me alone?"
With a smooth motion, Gensei pointed his finger. But Kamijou didn’t even need to look at where it was aimed. He instantly understood what Gensei intended.
Because, ever so politely, it had already announced itself by foreshadowing the next development.
"…!! Touma-san, I’m sorry!! I have no room to dodge Gensei-san’s attack!!"
Reicia Blackguard. She had most likely been blown away during her fight with the doppelgänger. Barely able to hold her stance, she was struggling just to keep balance. Against her, Gensei was now preparing a follow-up strike.
Naturally, Reicia had no ability to defend against an angel-class blow. With no room to dodge, Gensei’s strike would certainly kill her. In other words, this made her a hostage in Gensei’s hands.
Even so, the fact that Reicia had cried out of her own will was the best kind of support for Kamijou. Without that, he would have been forced to check the situation himself, and before Gensei, that hesitation could have been fatal.
Gensei raised his hand toward the sky. For the sure-kill attack aimed at Reicia, Kamijou abandoned his own assault on Gensei, leaping up with all his strength. He stretched his right hand high, like a basketball player blocking a shot.
And in that very moment, a massive chill shot down Kamijou’s spine.
As if to confirm that dreadful premonition—
"Ahhhh!!!! Touma-san, no!!"
"Too late."
Kamijou Touma’s right arm.
Without a sound, it was severed.
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